Dragon
A dragon was a manifestation of the primal forces that existed in the physical world and the spiritual realms. They were similar to the minor kami in that they represented power beyond the mundane. Unlike the kami, they did not represent a certain element, but strong ideas. For example, the Dragon of Fire represented inspiration, intensity, and the driving force within every soul. The Dragon of Thunder was not even connected to an element, but to the heroic nature inherent in mankind. Fortunes and Winds, p. 73 Origin The dragons were born from the primal stuff that existed before the universe was created, born into substance as was all else. Each embodied a concept, and drew its power from the existence of that concept. First among the dragons were those born of the elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Void. They were the mightiest of all dragonkind, and in their wake followed their siblings Celestial Dragon, born of the Heavens, and Dragon of Thunder, born of the storm and the fire within the hearts of men. Beforehand, by Shawn Carman Appearances The external appearances of the Dragons were varied. They were able to take any form they wished, but often appeared as physical embodiments of their elements. The Thunder Dragon could appear as a swirling form of thunder clouds, or the Fire Dragon could appear as a chaotic flaming mass with blazing eyes. The Dragons were even known to take human form on occasion, but almost always to teach someone a lesson in virtue. Their demeanor towards humans could be as incredible as they could be terrible, and should any mortal try to attack them, they would simply tear said mortal apart. Way of the Dragon, p. 83 Dragonlands There was a realm in which only the dragons were allowed, the Dragonlands, and it had a ruler, the King of All Dragons, and all dragons were his subjects and bowed to his whim. Way of the Dragon, p. 82 Dragon and other Races Humans The Dragons watched the creation of humans with fascination, and offered gifts to those they deemed worthy and gave them places to live among the Celestial Heavens. Lady Sun and Lord Moon grew jealous and lifted the Heavens away from Rokugan to prevent the interference of the Dragons from leading to the destruction of the Empire. The Dragons could still watch the humans, and attempted to learn more about them without violating the enforced separation. The Dragon and the Nezumi Oracles Before leaving, each dragon let a part of itself remain in Ningen-do, giving it to an agent known as an Oracle. Way of the Phoenix, pp. 106-107 The Dragons wished to know more of mankind, and by merging their power with a human, they could more fully understand the mind of a mortal. Way of the Shadowlands, p. 123 Each dragon had an Oracle, including the newer dragons such as the Jade Dragon or Obsidian Dragon. The elemental dragons also had a dark mirror of their oracles known as the Dark Oracles. The dragons gained the ability to perceive the mortal realm through the eyes of a mortal, which offered them insight they could normally not gain from their divine status. Revelation, by Shawn Carman First Oracles Five mortals were gathered in a hill that would one day be the Agasha provinces. Ryoken, the emissary of the Celestial Dragons, told them they had been favored and becoming the first Oracles. This place remained with a strong link with the Dragons, and later the Phoenix founded the City of Remembrance, and built the Temple of the Seven Dragons. Finding the Balance, by Shawn Carman Withdrawing Their Influence The Elemental Dragons have been known to withdraw their influence from the mortal world. * The first time was in 1127, before the Second Day of Thunder, Time of Void, p. 33 * The second time in 1129, before War against the Shadow. However, this time, the Dragon of the Void found it could not completely abandon the mortals it had come to cherish and instead left behind a nemuranai that bore a fraction of its power; the Dragon's Claw Katana. Hidden Emperor, p. 11 * The third time was in 1169, when the Dragon of Fire, who had been involved in the Battle of Toshi Ranbo and the stewardship of the capital Toshi Ranbo by the Phoenix Clan, returned to Tengoku with its brothers. At the Heart of the Empire, by Brian Yoon * After the Destroyer War the Mortal Realm was unbalanced, and the Oracles of Light and Dark disappeared from Ningen-do. Twenty years later, in 1199, the Celestial Order had been restored and the Oracles returned again to Rokugan. 2014 Fall Tournament Series: Return of Light & Dark (Storyline tournament) Nezumi The story told by the Nezumi race was that one day a Dragon had seen a Nezumi hunting in the hills of the Shadowlands and, thinking it was a man lost in the darkness, came to his aid. The Dragon said the Nezumi was brave to have ventured this far into danger and that it would reward him with a place in the Celestial Heavens. The Dragon picked up the Nezumi and began to fly to the stars. The Dragon asked if the Nezumi was from the Empire, and the Nezumi, wishing to steal some of the Dragon's treasure, said he was one of the Emperor's sons. The Dragon suggested the Nezumi would then know of Otosan Uchi, and the Nezumi, who thought Otosan Uchi to be a samurai, claimed he was one of his dearest friends. The Dragon cast down the Nezumi upon hearing such a blatant lie, but when he turned to further punish the ratling, he could not find the creature. The Nezumi had burrowed deep into the earth to avoid the Dragon's wrath, and to this day Nezumi live in burrows deep underground, hiding from the anger of the Heavens. Known Dragons Elemental Dragons The Elemental Dragons were the most well known Dragons. There were five of them, representing each of the five elements. The Earth Dragon was the most recognizable, always taking the same form: that of a long, scaled serpent apparently made out of stone and mud. The Fire Dragon was also equally identifiable, appearing as a endlessly coiling flame. The Water Dragon, however, was known to never keep the same form, varying its shape with the addition or subtractions of coils, talons and fins. The Air Dragon was rumored to be invisible, but none knew for certain. Last was the Void Dragon, which was only known to have appeared in the dreams of heroes, and none could recall its form. Way of the Dragon, p. 84. Thunder Dragon Some claimed to have seen a dragon during violent storms, naming it the Thunder Dragon. In truth it was the manifestation of the fortune of Fire and Thunder, Osano-Wo. There actually was a Thunder Dragon, which was the mother of Osano-Wo, but what became of her after giving birth to the son of Hida was not entirely known. In the 12th century the Thunder Dragon gave up part of its divinity to allow Yoritomo to remain in Tengoku. The Thunder Dragon was cast out of Tengoku, and fell to earth, where it was guarded by the Mantis Clan. Preparations, Part I, by Rusty Priske and Shawn Carman The Seven Dragons The Seven Dragons are those who were originally in Tengoku: the Elemental dragons, the Thunder Dragon and the Celestial Dragon. The rest of Dragons were added later, or they were not known by the Rokugani. The Ruins of Otosan Uchi, Part 1, by Shawn Carman The Jade and Obsidian Dragons are twins, and sometimes they are called the eighth Dragon. The Ruins of Otosan Uchi, Part 3, by Shawn Carman Other Dragons More dragons were born, each a pale imitation of their elemental siblings, but powerful nonetheless. Born mortal and immortal, they were numbered among the Fortunes and other entities of the divine, but many chose to take the form of a dragon. Togashi The Kami Togashi was able to take the form of a Dragon. It was believed that all of the Kami were able to do this, but only Togashi would be able to say for certain. Togashi's relationship with the other Dragons was shrouded in mystery, but he would occasionally travel to their home realm, even bringing mortals with him at times. Togashi's son Hoshi was half-man, half-dragon. Jade, by Rich Wulf The tale of the Dragon and the Scorpion The dragon came to scorpion, and told it had seen ki-rin, lion, crane, crab been trickered, and that it already knew what scorpion would do with phoenix. The scorpion retorted that dragon knew of it but did nothing, and Dragon had nothing more to say. Way of the Scorpion, p. 58 List of the Known Dragons * Celestial Dragon * Dragon of Fire * Dragon of Water * Dragon of Earth * Dragon of Air * Dragon of Void * Dragon of Thunder * Jade Dragon * Obsidian Dragon * Shadow Dragon Besides the dragons above, there were also several minor dragons or mortals with dragon forms: * Fu Leng * Jotei * Kali-Ma * Kanjiro * Osano-Wo * P'an Ku * Ryoken * Shinjo Jade, by [Wulf * Togashi * Togashi Hoshi * Togashi Satsu * Togashi Yokuni * Yozo * Yu Lung * Category:Creatures of Rokugan Category:Articles with Pictures